390 likes | 601 Views
The CLIMAX. God’s conclusion. We have covered many topics, studies, and messages about revealing Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, but what happens after He has begun His reign? What does the vision given to John reveal about Christ and His redeemed after the coronation?.
E N D
The CLIMAX God’s conclusion
We have covered many topics, studies, and messages about revealing Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, but what happens after He has begun His reign? What does the vision given to John reveal about Christ and His redeemed after the coronation?
We have seen the events relative to Jesus during these events, but what happened to the redeemed during those troublous times?
I Thessalonians 4: 15 - 17 NIV "According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. for the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that , we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord I the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."
Isaiah 25: 9 NIV “In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
God has special plans for the redeemed, and they have already begun. The redeemed have been rescued from the earth, after witnessing sins deadly results, and have met with Jesus “in the air”. They will now be with Him for 1000 years.
Revelation 20: 4 - 6 NIV "I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. this is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years."
What does it mean to be ‘Priests of God and reign with Him.’? Much time and speculation could be spent regarding this, but scripture does have certain clues for us.
“Do you not know the saints will judge the world? …Do you not know we will judge angels?” I Corinthians 6: 2 – 3 NIV
In some manner the redeemed of the earth will sit in judgment over demons, and perhaps even those not redeemed. God alone knows what is planned for the redeemed, but it will be far beyond our expectations.
You might be tempted to think that this is all there is, but God still has some unfinished business. During that thousand years the redeemed will become convinced that God has judged faithfully. When this has been accomplished He will once again come to earth to complete his unfinished work.
John 5: 28 - 29 NIV "Do not be astonished at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out --- those who have done good will arise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned."
We have studied about the resurrection of the redeemed, but according to John 5 there is to also be a resurrection of the condemned. We will look at that scenario right after we have a better look at the home of the redeemed.
“When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth ---Gog and Magog --- to gather them for battle. In umber they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves.”
“But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20: 7 – 10 NIV
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened which was the book of life.”
“The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.”
“Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20: 11 – 15 NIV
Sin and sinners exist no more; God has finally erased them from existence. It is time to think of more pleasant things!
“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride of the Lamb.”
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” Revelation 21: 1 NIV Remember that the sea, in prophecy represents pagan peoples, not the oceans of water. In the new earth there will be absolutely no pagans.
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who sat on the throne said, “I am making all things new!” Then he said, “Write it down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21: 2 – 5 NIV
“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”
“It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them was the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Revelation 21: 9 – 14 NIV
That new Jerusalem is massive beyond description, 12,000 stadia or about 450 miles to a side, and as tall as it is long.
To get a rough feeling for the size of the New Jerusalem take a map of the USA and draw a line from Dallas Texas to Jackson Mississippi, then draw a line from Jackson Mississippi north to St. Louis, Missouri, take the line west to Russell Kansas, and back to Dallas Texas. You would have a rough idea of the size of the heavenly city in that enclosure.
The foundations of the city were of twelve precious stones, each different from the other, and those gates … “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The streets of the city were of pure gold, like transparent glass.” Revelation 21: 21 NIV
“I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. … On no day will its gates ever be shut for there is no night there.”
“Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Revelation 21: 22 – 27 selections
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the street of the great city.”
“On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22: 2 NIV
“No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads.”
“There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.”
“And they will reign forever and ever. The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true.”
“I John am the one who heard and saw these things. … then he told me, “do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.” Revelation 22: 8 NIV